2014 was not a good year for diversity in the advertising industry.
The reality is succinctly symbolized by the fact that former Draftfcb President and CEO Laurence Boschetto once wrote, “I recently proclaimed at Draftfcb that by 2014 we will be an organization that no longer uses the term ‘diversity and inclusion.’” Well, as 2014 draws to a close, Boschetto is gone, Draftfcb is history and Diversity and Inclusion actually has its own tab on the reinvigorated organization’s website.
Additional symbols demonstrating the downfall of diversity include:
• The Madison Avenue Project being quietly dismantled
• The Marcus Graham Project Infographic exposing Black representation in the advertising industry is declining
• Here Are All The Black People getting segregated from Advertising Week
• Annie the Chicken Queen still ruling at Popeyes
In a year that marked the 59th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ refusal, diversity has taken a backseat on the Madison Avenue bus. Hell, 2014 showed that just about everything trumps diversity in the advertising industry.
Belting out the Popeyes song trumps diversity.
Adwomen nurturing millennials trumps diversity.
Selling (out) Honey Nut Cheerios trumps diversity.
Challenging people to Hire 3 Women to Disrupt White-Male Hegemony trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Burger King account review trumps diversity.
The dreaded Ad Tax trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Sprint account review trumps diversity.
Hawking royalty-free stock photos of MLK trumps diversity.
Patronizing tweets on MLK Day trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Arby’s account review trumps diversity.
JCPenney’s love for hip hop trumps diversity.
An amazingly stupid Gracie commercial trumps diversity.
Old news about White advertising agencies trumps diversity.
A gay graham cracker trumps diversity.
Rebranding a White advertising agency trumps diversity.
A shootout between sister White advertising agencies trumps diversity.
White adwomen whining over the dearth of dames trumps diversity.
Ryan Seacrest trumps diversity.
The dearth of sheroes trumps diversity.
Saluting Old White Guys trumps diversity.
Dove Real Bullshit trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Red Lobster account review trumps diversity.
A $3 million pay raise trumps diversity.
Ronald McDonald’s fresh gear trumps diversity.
Expressing cluelessness about diversity trumps diversity.
Spotlighting recruiters perpetuating exclusivity trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Miller Lite account review trumps diversity.
A $500 million termination fee trumps diversity.
The Publicis-Omnicom debacle trumps diversity.
Cultural cluelessness from a Pioneer of Diversity trumps diversity.
Unequaled cluelessness from Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy trumps diversity.
Recruiting White interns trumps diversity.
Feigning interest in diversity trumps diversity.
BBDO making diversity comical trumps diversity.
Searching for more alpha adwomen in the UK trumps diversity.
A boring trade groups merger trumps diversity.
A questionable $11.7 million salary trumps diversity.
Fawning over White millennials in adland trumps diversity.
A $7 million severance package trumps diversity.
Rebranding a Black advertising agency trumps diversity.
Hyping a Women-only awards show trumps diversity.
The dearth of White female judges at Cannes trumps diversity.
The drivel of Four Stooges on Cannes trumps diversity.
Obscenely bad advertising from Pornhub trumps diversity.
Complaining about Cannes trumps diversity.
Star-fucking at Cannes trumps diversity.
White holding companies hooking up with social media trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Infiniti account review trumps diversity.
A digitally dumb adman criticizing digital trumps diversity.
WPP Overlord Sir Martin Sorrell’s trendspotting trumps diversity.
The hypocrisy of cause marketing trumps diversity.
A Whites-only White Castle account review trumps diversity.
Gobbledygook from Cindy Gallop trumps diversity.
These 5 Dynamic Duos Are Nailing Digital Marketing trumps diversity.
Unilever’s digital dumbness trumps diversity.
Procter & Gamble consolidating crumbs trumps diversity.
Leo Burnett honoring Bill Sharp despite rarely hiring Blacks trumps diversity.
Shrinking The Big Tent trumps diversity.
Accelerating Toyota Swagger Wagon stereotypes trumps diversity.
Mickey D’s staging a shootout between White advertising agencies already on its roster trumps diversity.
A Whites-only L.A. Clippers account review trumps diversity.
The final season of Mad Men trumps diversity.
PR experts who fuck up their own PR trumps diversity.
Cancelling The Crazy Ones trumps diversity.
Letting unqualified digital agencies produce TV commercials trumps diversity.
Earning 780 times more than your average employee trumps diversity.
A creative director exhibiting transphobia trumps diversity.
Cross-cultural cluelessness trumps diversity.
Sobbing over extended payment terms trumps diversity.
Declaring “pee happens” trumps diversity.
Gender jive trumps diversity.
A White advertising agency dictating Black advertising trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Intel account review trumps diversity.
Cleaning up digital advertising trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Panera Bread account review trumps diversity.
Announcing that content outperforms advertising trumps diversity.
White adwomen winning awards trumps diversity.
Clients appointing Chief Creative Officers trumps diversity.
Dentsu showing zero interest in merging with White holding companies trumps diversity.
White advertising agencies concocting mentoring campaigns trumps diversity.
Partnerships involving culturally clueless enterprises—Google and Madison Avenue—trumps diversity.
Asking a Chief Diversity Officer what she really does all day trumps diversity.
Picking the next White man to succeed Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy trumps diversity.
Lobbying for adland trumps diversity.
WPP Overlord Sir Martin Sorrell playing pseudo thought leader trumps diversity.
The invisibility of minorities at Advertising Week 2014 trumps diversity.
Idolizing WPP Overlord Sir Martin Sorrell trumps diversity.
Deciding the perfect modern creative is female trumps diversity.
More Leo Burnett diversity propaganda trumps diversity.
Conservative clients promoting fearlessness trumps diversity.
Trumping Cheerios’ Gracie trumps diversity.
More White advertising agencies commandeering cross-cultural campaigns—and shooting on former slave plantations—trumps diversity.
Millennials myopia trumps diversity.
Old White Guys replacing Old White Guys trumps diversity.
Nepotism at Havas trumps diversity.
Subliminal Inequality trumps diversity.
Yet another White man advocating gender equality trumps diversity.
Yet another boring trade groups merger trumps diversity.
South Africa’s advertising industry having greater diversity than the U.S. advertising industry trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Johnnie Walker account review trumps diversity.
The high cost of talent turnover trumps diversity.
Not trusting digital advertising impressions trumps diversity.
Quarterly revenue trumps diversity.
Digital drunkenness trumps diversity.
Destroying digital trumps diversity.
Promising no layoffs in the wake of mergers trumps diversity.
Multiplying management layers trumps diversity.
Digital trumps diversity.
Hatching a single global idea for megabrands trumps diversity.
A White advertising agency’s telenovela trumps diversity.
Consolidating billings among White advertising agencies trumps diversity.
Copyrighting bad taglines trumps diversity.
Reviving Pizza Hut trumps diversity.
Consolidating digital billings trumps diversity.
Slapping employees in the (White) face trumps diversity.
Complaining about digital standards you co-authored trumps diversity.
Bratwurst trumps diversity.
Selecting a White advertising agency before replacing the CMO trumps diversity.
Choosing the Best Places for White people to work trumps diversity.
Another White man jumping on the gender equality bandwagon trumps diversity.
A Whites-only CarMax account review trumps diversity.
Telling your bosses how to do their jobs trumps diversity.
Comparing discriminatory hiring practices to spinach in your teeth trumps diversity.
Dreaming of a lily-White Christmas trumps diversity.
Quietly shifting accounts sans any reviews trumps diversity.
Misleading consumers via Twitter trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Sabra account review trumps diversity.
Admitting that White women comprise 49 percent of the UK advertising workforce trumps diversity.
Admitting that 56 percent of digital ads are never seen trumps diversity.
Parking the Cadillac account at a new White advertising agency trumps diversity.
Celebrating White A-Listers trumps diversity.
Additional consolidation of billings among White advertising agencies trumps diversity.
Sending a White guy to conquer China trumps diversity.
Suffering a consolidation headache trumps diversity.
A Whites-only Golden Corral account review trumps diversity.
Being a sore loser trumps diversity.
Being an Anus Horribilis trumps diversity.
Predicting What’s Not Happening in 2015 trumps diversity.
Naming a new CEO after consolidating billings among White advertising agencies trumps diversity.
Anointing yourself Global White AOR for Jesus trumps diversity.
Lowering Kara Walker and Pharrell Williams into the same league as David Droga and Ted Royer—which is like comparing Marie Curie and Albert Einstein to Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas—trumps diversity.
To sum up the year: digital—and all the acquisitions and asinine responses it inspires—trumps diversity; the alleged dearth of dames—and sycophantic White men advocating for gender equality—trumps diversity; Whites-only account reviews—featuring Corporate Cultural Collusion, cronyism, nepotism and other assorted isms—trumps diversity; White holding companies’ slick maneuverings—and the greedy egos of ignorant White holding company leaders—trumps diversity; White advertising agencies producing liberal-minded work—and having the audacity to feign commitment to diversity—trumps diversity; shady politics trumps diversity; and grudgingly hugging millennials trumps diversity. As previously stated, just about everything trumps diversity in the advertising industry. Let’s hope 2015 isn’t a rerun of 2014. Happy New Year!
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